Personality is an abstract description that attempts to explain tendencies in how individuals view and respond to the world around them. It is an excellent example of the complexity of human complexity, and the five-factor model of human personality has enabled us to assess personality in a more quantitative way. An individual’s personality largely dictates the trajectories and outcomes of their life experiences, and recent literature has established strong correlates between personality and various pathologies, notably Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, as well as significant relationships between environmental factors and personality traits. Nevertheless, despite the critical importance of personality in the human experience, the molecular mechanisms underpinning personality remain poorly understood. Limited genetic correlates have been found, but a more extensive picture of the underpinnings of personality in the brain have yet to be painted. Through both genetic and epigenetic approaches I aim to elucidate the molecular underpinnings of personality, understanding how environment modulates personality, and subsequently understanding how personality might predispose individuals to Alzheimer’s Disease as well as psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. To do so I will perform Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) as well as mendelian randomization analyses to find genetic correlates of personality as well as to understand whether they are causally implicated in the five factor personality traits. I will then conduct transcriptomic analyses (via single nucleus RNA sequencing of human prefrontal cortex tissue) of the five factor personality traits, as well as of some environmental conditions that may affect personality, most notably adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), social isolation (SI), and early life enrichment. Using the results of these genetic and transcriptomic analyses, as well as genetic and transcriptomic hits from previous analyses of AD and schizophrenia, I will conduct a networks level analysis to understand how environmental factors may modulate personality, and how personality may predispose individuals to AD and schizophrenia.

I am participating in the SuperUROP program because I wanted to expand the work that I was already doing into a more interdisciplinary project between BCS and EECs where I could continue to build on my neuroscience research skills while gaining more advanced computational mentorship. Additionally, I wanted to gain more mentorship in writing and presenting in the research world. I feel prepared for this research by almost two years of neuroscience research (including computational workflows) as well as extensive CS, biology, and neuroscience coursework. I am hoping to learn more advanced statistical/computational approaches to developing a more comprehensive picture of biological processes in the brain from multi-omic data.